The Personal Science of Natural Hair Growth
Had I known that there was an overwhelming amount of information behind the health and growth of curly natural hair, I might’ve tried to tackle this beast (my hair) many years sooner. I’ve only begun to realize now that properly curating a hair care regimen for optimal hair growth is going to take some patience, education and personalization.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Once I decided to go natural, I made it a point to look up a wealth of videos of other natural haired women of color, to see what their hair regimen was. It wasn’t until getting my first trim during this transitioning period that I learned every naturalista is going to have a different regimen because what works for one person may not necessarily work for the other. I tried the L.O.C. method and I can say with certainty that it is not for me or my type of textured hair. This was confirmed by my hair stylist. Yes, she is black in case you were wondering. And she told me that neither Co-washing or L.O.C. were for me as they weighed down my hair.
The Natural Hair Care World
This weekend after my trim and a visit to a black beauty supply shop, I began to feel incredibly overwhelmed and confused with not only the variety of products on the market for natural hair care, but also the way I should be taking care of my hair. I didn’t know where to start and felt like I was a total alien when it came to my hair. Prior to going natural, I equated my hair care regimen to that of my skin care regimen. Very simple, and effective.
Cleanse, Condition, and follow with a serum or hair oil. This was my method every week prior to flat ironing my hair. My hair was damaged from heat and there was lots of breakage, but I think I had the right building blocks to grow upon. Aside from eliminating heat altogether, and going through with the nerve-wracking “trim” –I’m now looking for ways to keep my hair moisturized longer throughout the week. Which is a good place for me to start, considering how overwhelmed I was with a simple visit to the salon and beauty supply shop.
Things I’ve learned:
- Moisturizing shampoos are NOT the same as clarifying shampoos.
- A leave-in conditioner is a conditioner, but not necessarily a moisturizer.
- Don’t use water daily as it can dry your hair out.
- Cult products don’t necessarily work for everyone.
- Don’t be pressured into a big chop, It’s ok to start with trims.
- Hair growth is very individual.
- Do what works for you and your hair.
I can say that I’m still in the beginning stages of figuring out a proper regimen of care for my hair. But in the meantime I’ll continue to test out my arsenal of products I’ve purchased since going natural and work on posting reviews in the near future. Check out some of my other posts on this topic!
